Skillnaija All courses →

Your Monthly Management Report Workbook

The capstone project for Excel for Work: From Blank Sheet to Reports People Trust — a free Data & Tech course. Pass it and you earn a certificate anyone can verify.

Start the course free Download the project workbook

The project unlocks once you complete the lessons. The workbook is free to download now so you can see exactly what is expected.

What you will submit

One workbook, shared as a Google Sheets link with view access or an uploaded .xlsx file, with the six named sheets and formulas left live.

What to do, step by step

  1. Download the practice files from the course (sales.csv, products.csv, customers.csv and sales-messy.csv). Build ONE workbook in Excel or Google Sheets for Mama Ngozi Foods' management team covering January to August 2026, with a clearly named sheet for each part below. Keep formulas live (no pasting values over formulas) so a grader can click into cells and see your working.
  2. Part 1. Clean data: import sales-messy.csv onto a sheet, then on a separate sheet produce a clean version: one consistent date format, numbers as numbers with no naira signs or spaces, branch names spelt one way, payment types in one case, and duplicate invoices removed. Add a short note listing each problem you found and the technique you used to fix it.
  3. Part 2. Lookups: on the clean sales sheet, add columns that pull in the product name and category from products.csv and the customer type and area from customers.csv using XLOOKUP, VLOOKUP or INDEX/MATCH. Add a margin column using the product cost price. All lookups must be formulas.
  4. Part 3. Summaries with formulas: on a Summary sheet, use SUMIFS, COUNTIFS and AVERAGEIFS to show, for each branch and each month, total sales, number of invoices, average invoice value and total refunds. Use absolute references so the block can be copied without breaking.
  5. Part 4. Pivot analysis: build at least two pivot tables: sales by category by month, and top 10 customers by amount with their customer type. Add one pivot chart. Write three sentences on what the pivots show that the summary sheet did not.
  6. Part 5. Dashboard: a one-page Dashboard sheet with a headline number for the period, at least three charts (choose the chart type for each question and say why in a cell note), a slicer or dropdown to switch branch, conditional formatting that highlights outstanding credit sales, and print settings so it fits one page.
  7. Part 6. Template and controls: turn the workbook into something a colleague can reuse next month: data validation dropdowns on the input columns, protected formula cells, an Instructions sheet in plain language, and a named range for the reporting period. Save it and share the link.

Files to work with

Project workbook (fill in, then submit)The whole brief, an evidence checklist, the grading rubric as a self-check and the link-sharing steps in one file. Opens in Word, Google Docs or WPS.Word · 7 KB

How it is graded

CriterionWeight
The messy data is fully cleaned with the problems and fixes documented18%
Lookups and the margin column are correct, formula-based and copy safely16%
The SUMIFS/COUNTIFS summary is correct for every branch and month and uses absolute references properly18%
Pivot tables and the pivot chart are built correctly and the commentary draws a real insight16%
The dashboard fits one page, uses the right chart for each question, and its interactivity and conditional formatting work18%
The workbook is reusable: validation, protection, instructions and a named period14%

You need 65% overall to pass. A failed submission comes back with feedback and can be revised and resubmitted.

Before you submit: make your link public

If your work lives in Google Drive or Google Docs, open Share → General access and change “Restricted” to “Anyone with the link” (Viewer). Then paste the link into a private browser window: if it opens without sign-in, you are ready. A private link cannot be graded — it is the single most common reason a good project fails.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to finish Excel for Work: From Blank Sheet to Reports People Trust before submitting the project?

Yes. The submission screen opens once every lesson in Excel for Work: From Blank Sheet to Reports People Trust is marked complete. The lessons are where the methods, the Nigerian context and the worked examples the project depends on are taught.

How is the project graded?

An examiner scores each rubric criterion from 0 to 100 and weights them as shown on this page; you need 65% overall to pass. Most submissions are graded within minutes and you get written feedback on what was strong and what to improve.

Can I resubmit if I fail?

Yes. A failed project comes back with feedback; revise the weak parts and resubmit. A passed project is final — the certificate is issued and cannot be re-rolled.

What do I actually submit?

A write-up of what you did (under 5,000 characters) plus a public link to your work — a Google Drive folder, Google Doc, spreadsheet, GitHub repository or video. The link must open without sign-in; a private link cannot be graded. The free project workbook on this page walks you through all 7 steps.

Is the certificate real?

Yes. Passing this project issues a certificate with a unique verification code. Anyone — an employer, a client, a school — can open the verification page and see that the certificate is genuine and which project earned it.

More Data & Tech projects

Ready to earn this certificate?

Excel for Work: From Blank Sheet to Reports People Trust is free and self-paced. Finish the lessons, complete this project, and the certificate is yours to share.

Start learning free